Take direct bookings as your main route, and treat everything else as a way to fill gaps. A patient who books you directly knows your name, pays your fee and can come back without anyone standing in the middle. Platforms and networks have a place, especially early on, but I wouldn't build a clinic on one.
We sell services that help clinics win their own patients, so weigh my view with that in mind. I've tried to show where the alternatives win.
There's a limit on this article too. Few of these platforms publish their fees to clinics, and I couldn't open some of their pricing pages. I've said where that's the case.
The short version
- Insurer networks bring steady work, but at agreed fees and on their terms.
- Directories can bring trust, and some vet who they list. Ask what you pay and who owns the reviews.
- Discount deals bring bargain hunters, and they're still regulated advertising.
- Work out your income per finished course, not per booking.
- Keep building your own Google profile and reviews, because they stay yours.
The routes compared
| Route | How you pay | What we could confirm on 6 November 2026 | What we couldn't |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bupa Physiotherapy Network | Agreed fees for care you give | Recognition covers the whole practice. A lead clinician needs CSP and HCPC registration and five years' full-time experience. Invoices go through Bupa, and you don't invoice its customers directly. | The fee amounts |
| Doctify | Not stated on the page we read | Lists 3,797 physiotherapy clinics in England. Says it lists registered providers only and that reviews come from verified patients. | What clinics pay, and if paid placement affects order |
| TreatCompare | Not stated | Compares fees and lists 349 clinics from 10 operators. | If clinics pay to appear |
| Discount deal sites | Usually a share of the voucher, as I understand it | The GCC toolkit treats these offers as sales promotions under the CAP Code, and names Groupon. | Current terms |
| Beauty and wellness booking apps | Not confirmed | Nothing. I couldn't open Fresha's pricing, and I didn't check Treatwell. | Whether either suits a clinic |
| Google search and your own site | Your time, or adverts | Your Google profile is free. | Ad costs for your town |
| Referrals from GPs, gyms and past patients | Your time | I found no cost data. | How often it happens |
Check any platform directly. Prices and terms change, and these notes will age.
Insurer networks
For a physio clinic, this is the big one. It's a real source of patients, because they're already funded and often want to use their cover. The trade-offs are also real.
- Your fee isn't your fee. It's the agreed rate.
- Bupa says invoices go through it online, and you don't invoice its customers directly.
- All your physios need to meet the criteria, including an enhanced DBS check.
Those criteria apply to Bupa's physio network. I couldn't confirm other insurers' terms, or what's on offer for osteopaths and chiropractors. Read the terms and conditions before you apply, and ask what happens if rates change.
My view: I'd take insurer work if it fills slots you'd otherwise lose, at a rate that still clears your costs. I'd be nervous once one insurer supplies more than a third of your income. That's my rule of thumb, not an industry standard.
Directories and review sites
A good directory can do what you can't do alone: put a vetted badge next to your name. Doctify's claim that it checks registration and verifies reviews is useful for trust, though I haven't tested how it works.
Ask these before you pay:
- What do I pay, and for how long?
- Does it renew automatically?
- Do my reviews stay if I leave?
- Does the platform show other clinics on my profile?
- Who owns the patient data for bookings made there?
- Does the platform's wording about my services fit my ASA page?
That last one catches people out. A directory profile counts as your advertising. GOsC lists directory entries among the materials osteopaths should check.
Discount deals
I'd be slow to run these. A cheap first visit can fill slots in a quiet month, but I'd expect it to attract people looking for the deal, and it can make your full fee look high.
If you run one:
- State what's included, and any costs that aren't. The GCC's toolkit treats these offers as sales promotions under the CAP Code, so read those rules first.
- Don't use the deal to push a long plan.
- Make sure you can honour every voucher.
- Keep the health claims inside your ASA list.
Your own bookings
This route is slow to build and hard to take from you. It rests on four things:
- A complete Google profile.
- A steady flow of honest reviews.
- A website with clear fees and direct booking.
- Someone or something that answers every enquiry.
It isn't free. It takes time or money, and if you've got no reviews and no name in the town, it won't help you this month. That's when a platform makes sense. Use the time it buys you to build your own route.
Do the sums per course
The right number is what's left per patient, not per booking.
Worked example (made-up figures)
Thornley Lane Clinic, an invented clinic, charges £75 for a first visit and £51 for a follow-up. A six-visit course is £330. None of these figures come from a real platform or insurer. They're there to show the method.
| Route | Sums | Income per new patient |
|---|---|---|
| Direct, with £40 of marketing per new patient | £330 − £40 | £290 |
| Booking platform, £15 fee on the first visit only | £330 − £15 | £315 |
| Insurer network at an imagined £45 a session | £45 × 6 | £270 |
| Discount deal: £30 voucher, deal site keeps 40%, 1 in 3 go on to 5 follow-ups | £18 + (£255 ÷ 3) | £103 |
Look at the second row. A one-off fee on a first visit can beat your own marketing, if the patients are the same quality and they come back to you directly. So don't dismiss platforms on principle. The sums change with the terms, which is why you need to see them in writing.
The deal comes out worst, and that's because of the follow-on rate. Track yours. Also count what the sums leave out: slots used by people who don't return, and time on invoices.
The mix I'd use
| Stage | Mix |
|---|---|
| First year | Referrals, Google profile, one insurer or directory if you qualify |
| Years two and three | Direct as the main route, insurers for steady work |
| Established | Direct first, and platforms only where they earn their place |
That's my judgement, not a study. An established sports clinic with strong GP links may never need any of this. A clinic in a town with big employers may do well from insurers for years.
Questions clinic owners ask
Should my clinic join Bupa or other insurers?
If you qualify, it's worth a look. It gives you funded patients at an agreed fee. Work out your margin at that rate first, and don't let one insurer dominate your diary.
Are directories worth paying for?
Some can be, if they bring patients you'd not otherwise reach. Test one, measure bookings, and check the term before you commit. Never pay for one on a promise alone.
Is a discount voucher a good way to get new patients?
Rarely, in my view. It can fill a quiet week, but it's a poor way to find people who'll complete their care or pay your full fee.
Can I move platform patients onto direct booking?
Check your contract first. Once someone's your patient, a follow-up booked in your own diary may be normal, but some terms could restrict it. Don't use their contact details for marketing unless you've got consent or the soft opt-in.
David Bell, founder of Real Business Systems
David helps small UK businesses get found, answer every enquiry and keep customers coming back. We sell some of the services mentioned here, and we say so where they come up.
Sources
- Bupa, Physiotherapy Network (no date)
- Doctify, physiotherapy clinics in England
- TreatCompare, physiotherapy providers
- GCC Advertising Toolkit (November 2021)
- GOsC, advertising guidance
- ICO, electronic mail marketing (under review)
Prices and rules change. Check the source before you rely on a figure. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.